Breaking Free
by Desepere Romantique
Summary: Susie's stuck in a reputation, but would give anything to get out of it, even if she had to break her parent's hearts to not become a doctor like they expect, and become a starlett on Broadway. But...is there anyone in the world who can save her?
1. Inside My Mind

**Don't you just loathe author's notes? **

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So, exactly the opposite of what Mom and Dad thought…prep school wasn't good for my education.

I mean, it was, I was getting into all these neat classes that challenged me more than at regular school, but now, more than ever, was I becoming more and more of the lonely person I am.

Turns out that if you were going to be attending "Marksville Prep Academy" you had to have been going since you were like, four, not since you were fifteen, like I was.

All the kids there were assembled into their own little posses, and weren't willing to bring in any new people, especially not new kids who were such sticklers for rules as I was.

But it wasn't as though I could help it…I had been raised that way; always do the best; the best being better than everyone else, that is.

And so I was the lonely nerdy girl who always had her nose in the book, seeing as it was my only friend.

I don't know about you, but that's a horribly depressing feeling, knowing that your only friends were inanimate and didn't give a rats butt if something happened to you.

It felt like I was being forced into a box that was far too small, and I wanted desperately to be outside of that itty-bitty box, spreading my winds to new horizons and not being stuck with something I hated.

Oh sure, studies were important to me, but…oh it was almost embarrassing to say…what if someone found out…but it looks like the only way to get out of that stupid little box that I didn't want to be in.

I didn't _want_ to be a doctor…I…I wanted to be on Broadway.

There…I said it. Over, and done with.

And it's true, I don't want to be a doctor like Mom and Dad expect me to be…I want to be on Broadway in one of the big Musicals, like…like…Phantom of the Opera, or…or…Les Misérables. I wanted to be the center of attention for once, with people being amazed at me for my talent that didn't have anything to do with smarts.

But it wasn't possible. It just wasn't.

Poor little Susie Derkins is just going to wind up lead by her mother and father, always being instructed what to do; never once expressing what was on her mind.

Oh how I wished that I could change that…

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**Very short introduction, even though I'm not really a big fan of them, I felt that it would be the proper way to show you Susie's personality before we really get into the story. **

**Like that makes any sense at all… **

**Please Review. **


	2. Shorthand Murder

**Been a while?**

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I held my chin in one hand, while taking notes with the other, every once in a while glancing up at my teacher.

She droned on, talking about elements in the human body, and paused only when she needed a drink of water.

In one short break I glanced around, wondering if anyone else was taking down notes in the shorthand we had learned in Writing class, but I spotted only two others, the rest of the students were staring off blankly into space or pretending to listen.

I sighed, flexing my cramped hand, and glanced over my notes so far. They were written in my easily recognizable cursive, one that matched French Script on Microsoft Word on the old computers in the computer labs.

Mrs. Harris started to speak again, but the door opened, stopping her mid-word.

"Mrs. Harris, sorry for interrupting your lesson, but we have a new enrollment here…" Mrs. Johansson, the elderly receptionist who wore the baby blue eye shadow said, stepping back to reveal a rather embarrassed blonde boy that was looking anywhere but at the class. Tall and lanky, his arms betraying the slightest of muscle, his skin barely tan; as though he switched from the beach in Southern California to Alaska igloos.

"Oh…well…" Mrs. Harris shifted. She wasn't used to being confronted with mundane things as new students. She'd had a hard enough time when we first got to her class, what with the hundred-something of us in different blocks. "How about you…just pick a seat then. There's an empty one just right there." She pointed to the seat over by Katherine Strider, who I'd noticed had been appraising him, nodding after a moment, as though she approved of him.

I was familiar with that look; it was the same for every new person she met. She always had to size them up, making sure they were good enough to be under her wing and made popular.

It was the same she gave to me my first day, only she hadn't nodded; she had frowned and shook her head slightly.

Jealousy panged somewhere inside me. How was it that this new kid could fit in so easy, especially when all he had done was blush a little!

I pursed my lips furiously and clicked my pen in my nervous habit mode, then remembered to stop before Mrs. Harris handed out a detention for 'disturbing class' something I hadn't done before, but a few other kids had gotten.

Mrs. Harris shuffled her papers uncomfortably, unsure what to do with this new kid.

"Your name?" she asked finally, and he looked up from his staring contest with the desk and said "Calvin."

"Calvin, we're taking notes. Get out a piece of paper and a pen and start writing, you may borrow Katherine's notes to catch up with the rest of us." She said, and dove back into talking before he could reach in his bag and get out a pen and paper.

Inside my head I snorted. Getting notes from Katherine would be a trip. I bet she had nothing down but doodles about 'Keith Southerland,' her I-wish-he-was-my-boyfriend-because-we-would-look-so-hot-together.

As Mrs. Harris took another sip of water, I snuck a glance over at Calvin, who looked incredibly harassed, and was still trying to write what she had said, evidently he hadn't learned shorthand. Maybe Katherine could help him with that. Hah.

The bell rang, cutting Mrs. Harris short, and we scrambled to put out notebooks and pens away, then to get out of the classroom.

Calvin was still scribbling frantically, and I debated going over to him out of spite that he was accepted so easy, but knew that he wouldn't have a chance in Science if he had to get 'notes' from Katherine.

"Hey, if you need to borrow my notes…" I said, and handed him my open spiral.

"What's this written in?" he asked, looking up at me like I was crazy.

"Shorthand, I can help you out if you want." I shrugged and left him sitting there.

It was the first time I'd ever just left someone hanging without saying anything else.

I hadn't introduced myself at all, just…'hey, I can help you.'

Was it just me, or did that sound just a _little _creepy, like something that ends in me killing him because he's like "okay, I don't want to fail on my first day, so I'll just go find this chick…AAAA! I'M DYING" because I stab him when he walks into the library or whatever.

I grinned. Wouldn't that be an interesting article in the paper.

'DERANGED GIRL MURDERS NEW STUDENT BECAUSE HE WAS ACCEPTED INTO THE POPULAR CIRCLE ON HIS FIRST DAY…NO…MINUTE AT EVIL PREP SCHOOL'

Had he been here longer, he wouldn't have anything to freak out about, because unless I was being possessed by those demons from 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' or whatever, I wouldn't do anything of the sort.

Worst thing that would happen would be the Populars finding him studying with me and deem him un-worthy to serve in the Parliament of Popular Chicks and Jocks.

On second thought…maybe murder would be a little more humane than having to try and live in the same building as maybe a hundred people who hate you for reasons that are so stupid they almost make sense.

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**Another short chapter…I'm sorry. **

**But just so you know, I DO have another chapter already written, because I was going to use it as a second chapter, but changed my mind. **

**Anyway…Please Review!**


	3. Chit Chat Hall

**Good heavens, I just have to say this…**

**Been a while? **

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Thankfully my next class was thankfully study hall, where I could be as vacant and absent minded as I wanted to be.

For the first time in a long time, I thought about myself, remembering my life before I came to this stupid school in Iowa.

After the first grade, we moved to Arkansas, where we stayed until my fifteenth birthday, moving to Marksville, where they sent me to this devil school.

When we had moved from Arkansas I was upset with my parents, until they told me they were sending me to a private school. Naturally I thought that it would consist of nerds like myself who loved to read, but realized that it was just a school for kids who were 'too good' for public schooling.

I had plenty of friends in Arkansas, and wrote to them every week, but soon the correspondence dwindled to a card at Christmas or a postcard from Spring Break.

Thus severing the tie of friendship I possessed with the outside world.

I missed Katie, Susanne, Hannah, Monique and Travis dreadfully, and would give anything to be back when we would sneak into the country club pool, go to the movies, and just hang out during those long summer days that made the dismal winter here unbearable.

In first grade I had lived in Ohio, where it snowed just as much, but I was still used to the scanty few inches a year we would get if we were lucky, and here it would start to snow in November.

I longed for the winter in Arkansas, when the temperature was barely around freezing, and you didn't have to worry about getting your socks all wet with snow that melted once you got inside.

And of course…there were the snowballs and slush balls that always seemed to target my head and back.

Of course it was always the popular guys who were on the baseball team or football team, and they always hit their target, while hurling the ball at speeds that hurt when they hit me.

So far there haven't been any injuries, but I eagerly await the day when I get knocked unconscious or get a bloody lip or something that would prevent them from throwing more for fear that they'd all get suspended for intentionally harming another student…or assault receiving assault charges from the ever protective Mom and Dad.

I couldn't remember too much before Arkansas, some annoying boy…but for the life of me I couldn't think of his name…but it was good riddance with him, because he would always try to cheat off my paper for easy problems like twelve minus five.

"Uh…" The presence of someone standing in front of me brought me back to the present with a blush. It was Calvin from science.

"Need help with those notes?" I asked, noticing he held my pristine notebook.

"Yeah…actually I do…" He said, and I gestured for him to sit in the desk next to me.

He sat down, and I could smell a faint guyish smell, like a musky wood that made me want to lean in closer.

How primitive.

"It's written in a different kind of shorthand that takes a while to understand…and you have to be pretty quick witted to decode it without taking all night." I said, and he shrugged.

"Well, there goes all my hope…" he joked, and I smiled my annoying crooked grin that I loathed. "Ah well…I'll give it a try."

"What you do is, you write the word, but without the vowels." I said, pointing out the word carbon. "So that would be…"

"Carbon…" he said after a moment.

"See, not too hard, and it saved loads of time." I said, and he nodded taking out his own paper to copy my notes.

I grabbed my current book, "Finishing" and began to read, but after a while Calvin broke the silence.

"I'm Calvin by the way." He said, as though he hadn't previously had to announce it to the entire fourth period science class.

"I'm Susie." I said, barely looking up.

"So…what's this school like?" He asked, and even though he tried to say it offhanded, his eyes nervously darted around the classroom.

For a moment I wished I could just read uninterrupted like the nerd I was, but then I remembered how I had been terrified out of my wits about this new, scary, school. Maybe that was the reason I didn't make it to the 'in' crowd.

"Well, for all it boasts about being all high quality, it's really like public school, only you don't get to go home, and you have a curfew every night, and must get permission from your parents to go out on weekends." I said, setting my book down.

"Sounds more like a jail." He said, and I laughed.

"Bingo. Besides, here the cliques are a whole bunch tighter, and the idiots who want you to do their homework are harder to avoid." the last statement I said with pointed vehemence. Just yesterday I had to shake off Katherine to avoid having to do her algebra.

My face must have looked amusing, because he burst out laughing.

"I'm pretty sure after one of those idiots sees my homework grades they'll think twice about making me do their homework." He said, and I wondered vaguely if I was going to wind up having to do his homework too.

"Well you'll still get sucked up into those cliques, and my money's on the 'in' crowd." I said, and he raised an eyebrow.

"The popular group?" He asked, smirking. I nodded seriously.

"Absolutely. Didn't you see Katherine checking you out in science?" I said, and he laughed again.

"You mean that blonde girl who kept snapping her gum and twirling her hair?" he asked, like I had just said a cow was elected President.

"Yeah, she's the almighty ruler." I said, sighing a little bit.

"Are the rest of the girls here like that?" He asked warily.

"Pretty much all of the Populars, and a few of the punks/Goths who just want to be annoying." I said, rolling my eyes to the ceiling as I thought.

"Well, now I know who to stay away from." He said, and I smiled.

"Ms. Derkins and new student, Calvin I believe?" Mrs. Mervin said, suddenly appearing in front of our table. "Now is a good time to learn that this is study hall, not chit-chat hall, contrary to popular belief."

I blushed and picked up my book as a few other kids started snickering. I never had to be victim of one of Mrs. Mervin's scoldings, and this was a definite first.

But you know…That Calvin seemed quite different from the dunderhead popular jock boys.

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**Can you believe that it took me over a month to write this? **

**That's just pathetic…**

**Sorry I didn't update sooner, I just…haven't have any muse. **

**Please Review! **


	4. Have A Nice Trip?

**There's nothing to say other than that I SUCK!!!! AAAAAAAAAH! I never wanted to be one of those writers who just abandons their stories, and I'm really sorry!! I'm just lazy and there's just no excuse. **

**Sorry…I'm trying. **

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Four rings of the bell over the intercom, Mrs. McGrath's hasty 'see you tomorrow…' and there was a mob all trying to get out of the door at the same time.

You'd think there was a fire.

I leisurely put away my papers and pen and slung my bag over my shoulder. The end of the day always was nice, even if I did have homework, but it wasn't too horrible, just a paper for history and one for math, as well as science.

Although, it was pretty much guaranteed that some muscle head was going to corner me and make me do his homework for him, doubling the work.

"See you tomorrow, Mrs. McGrath." I called over my shoulder, and she nodded, already pulling on her coat and hat.

The hallway was a mess of students heading back to their common rooms, and I pushed back yakking girls, no doubt gossiping about 'Amy's new shoes' or 'Kevin's sexy butt' or whatever they talk about.

Just for once I'd like to hear an actual conversation that wasn't idiotically shallow or so smart and complex it seemed to take a genius to figure it out. Just for once I'd like to have a conversation like the ones I used to have with my friends…maybe I'd make another stab at contacting them…

A fraction of a second too long was spent on that one thought I believe…a fraction of a second that could have been better spent on something more important than longing for the past…maybe something like watching where I was going, or who was sticking their foot out in front of me.

They caught my ankle, and it was like in 'Grease' when they trip that one kid and his books go flying…

That would be me.

My notebook flew out of my hand along with my History book, hopefully hitting whoever tripped me, and my bag hit the floor with a bang, followed by knee and hands.

Snickers and outright laughs stopped all chatter, and no one offered an apology or a hand up.

My face burned as I grabbed my books and bag, and I ducked my head as I stood and hurried away.

Why, of all places to go to school, did I have to go to a school where people were completely merciless and delighted in torturing innocent people? It was like living in the Roman Empire, except it was the Christians who were torturing other Christians.

Whatever happened to 'Treat others the way you want to be treated'? That's something we all learned in Sunday school.

I mean, if they want to be treated like a freak and get tripped after class, well then that's their own opinion, but I sure as heck don't want to be.

My head was still down, and I pushed roughly past someone, not really caring whether I knocked them down, and I practically ran back to my dormitory.

There were a few people in the commons, all of who looked at me with raised eyebrows, but I ignored them and escaped into my empty dorm.

I slid down against the door and rested my head on my knees.

This school sucked beyond measure.

I mean seriously, how on Earth could those idiots be so mean? Was it some sort of a warped gene or something? Because if it was, maybe it'd be better that I went into medical studies so I could find a cure for that, because that was something that needed to be fixed.

After a long moment I got up and threw my bag on my bed, which creaked in protest. Obviously the staff decided that the rejects dorm room didn't need new mattresses, because God _knows_ that if they skipped the popular girls' room there'd be some major drama going on.

God _knows_ the dorks wouldn't mind, because they were so quiet and polite…they wouldn't mind if we didn't be nice to them. They won't make their mommies and daddies sue because their precious girls weren't getting the proper back support.

Although, God also knows that many of the _rejects_ have bruises from the ancient springs digging into their ribs and spines at night.

Stupid school.

I kept my posture the same, and focused on breathing, not on how badly this school sucked.

The doorknob rattled, and there was a knock on the door.

"Susie?" It was Karen, the girl who sleeps in the bed next to me.

"Yes?" I called, keeping my voice level.

"Someone wants to see you…"

"Tell them I don't want to see them!" I interrupted, not caring to see the laughing faces of the preps again.

"No…it's…" there was a pause and a whisper. "Calvin."

I paused for a moment.

"Well…what does he want?"

There was another whisper, and then Karen again. "He says he's having some trouble with your notes for math."

I could understand…after calculus today, I lent him my notes, and even I had trouble reading what I wrote sometimes, Mr. Gregory spoke so fast.

"Oh…alright…I'll be right out…" I said, and stood up. Unconsciously I went over to the mirror and checked myself, straightening my shirt and tucking a stray hair behind my ear.

I went back and opened the door, and saw it was indeed Calvin, holding my math notebook.

"I hope you don't mind…" He said apologetically, and I smiled, the hallway scene completely forgotten.

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**Wow, it's short, but hey…it's a chapter. **

**And I know I don't deserve it…but some reviews would be kinda nice, even if you're just telling me that I need to freakn' update sooner than two months. **

**And if there's any mistakes, please let me know!**


	5. Collision Course

**Blah, Blah, Blah, update, Blah, Blah, Blah**

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"Hey Susie…" Calvin asked a little while later.

I looked up from my book and over to Calvin, who had been working on history, something he needed almost no help on.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?" He asked, and for a second he looked nervous, but it vanished so fast I must have imagined it.

"Go for it." I said, and he placed the pencil down neatly next to the paper.

"About earlier…in the hall…" He began, and I stiffened a little.

"Yes?"

"Is that what you meant about the cliques?"

I paused.

"Pretty much, yeah." I picked my book up, wanting him very much to get the hint that this conversation was over, but he obviously missed it.

"So how often does that happen?" He asked, and I answered shortly, looking back up with a very sarcastic smile.

"All the time." I went back to my book, now totally wanting to just drop the subject.

"And the teachers do nothing about it."

"What's the point? The kids tell their mommies and daddies, who call up the school, completely angry that anyone should _think _their _precious angels_ would do such a thing."

"That's idiotic."

"That's life." I said, and I shut my book, careful not to be violent. "Now if you'll excuse me…I forgot I needed to help Karen with her French homework."

I stood up and strode away, ignoring his protests, and went back to my dormitory, where Karen was humming along with her MP3 player, finishing her French with no help from me.

She went a few more bars from Panic! At the Disco before she noticed me.

"Oh!" She pulled out her earphones, which spilled out the sound of Brendon Urie singing one of her favorite songs; at least the one she played sometimes ten times in a row.

"Hey, Karen." I said and plopped down on my bed. The springs squealed, and I wanted to tell them to shut up.

"So how was studying with the new kid?" She asked, and I stared straight at the wall.

"Fine." I said, remembering too late that I had left my papers on the study desk. Great. Now I'd either have to persuade Karen to get them, or go back and get them myself.

"He was kind of hot…is he anything like the preps?" She asked, and I sighed.

"No…he's you know…nice…definitely not like the preps." I said, and sighed again. I really needed those papers…

"Yeah, in the hallway he was trying to talk to you, but you ignored him. I think you ran into him, actually."

So that was who I hit.

"Oh…well…shoot, I just remembered…I forgot my paper back in the library…I'll be right back…" Against my better judgment I scooted off the bed and opened the door and shut it as Karen nodded before sticking her earphones back on.

I hurried through the hallways as the sun slanted through the windows, reflecting off the linoleum, blinding me.

My hand wasn't a good block, and I debated whether I should just shut my eyes, when I suddenly collided with someone.

Just how many times was I going to be victim of people who enjoy seeing me land flat on my butt?

"Oh my God, Susie, sorry…" gee that voice sounded familiar.

Calvin jumped up and held his hand out, ready to help me up.

For a millisecond my brain froze. He was offering to help me up? I thought that only happened in fiction…weird…

I took it, and he pulled me effortlessly to my feet.

"Uh…thanks…" I said, and dusted the back of the mandatory skirt off as he bent back over, picking up the spirals and papers that he had dropped upon impact…papers that looked distinctly familiar.

"You left these…" he said, handing me them when he stood up a moment later.

"Yeah, I was just on my way back…" I said, taking them and holding them against my chest with folded arms.

"Look, I wanted to apologize for how I was so…I mean, you know…" He said, and I was mentally bewildered.

Obviously he wasn't from that strange planet where they turned regular humans into those cruel freaks known as preps.

"It's okay…" I said automatically.

"No, it's not okay…I just…where I come from, people aren't really like that, you know? At least, they kept pretty much out of the way of everyone, and didn't deliberately do stuff like that…"

I wanted to say something mean for some reason, but I checked my words.

"Same here."

"Where'd you come from?" He asked, and I adopted a fake accent.

"Arkansas."

He grinned, and I couldn't help but grin back.

"We were neighbors then, I moved from Texas."

"You don't have an accent…" I commented, and he shrugged.

"I wasn't really there for that long, just a year or two. My family moves around a lot."

We began talking, and I learned that his parents had enrolled him here so that he'd get the classes that tested him. Apparently he was one of the unfortunate smart kids. Our conversation settled into a sort of rhythm, he would ask a question, I would answer, I would ask a question, he would answer, and so on.

We just began talking about movies when I noticed the sun had settled below the horizon, and that the hall lights were starting to flicker on.

"Ohmigosh…curfew! We're supposed to be out of the halls by sun down!" I said suddenly, interrupting him.

Without thinking I grabbed his hand and ran through the halls. It was the first time I had done so, and it was a strange feeling.

We burst out the doors to the outdoor corridor to the dormitories, and we stopped in front of the split sidewalks, both breathing hard.

"Well…I guess I'll see you tomorrow in class…" I said, and he nodded.

"See you."

When I went back into the dormitory, Karen gave me a look that said 'and where have _you_ been.'

I just smiled at her and changed for bed.

For the first time since Arkansas, I had made a new friend.

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**Woohoo, an update! **

**Please review! **


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